It is well known that various materials such as fabrics, clothing, and other apparel can be treated to enhance the performance characteristics associated with the material. The performance characteristics can include, for example, odor adsorption, moisture control, ultra-violet light protection, and/or protection from external elements. Sportswear fabrics such as CoolMax™, HydroMove™, Dry-Fit™, and Dry-Tech™, are examples of fabrics that manage moisture and/or add ultra-violet light protection. Other examples of performance enhanced apparel includes odor adsorbing hunting suits. Such hunting suits may adsorb odors (e.g., caused by perspiration) and allows a hunter to approach wild game without the hunter's scent being detected. Military apparel made from a high performance fabric protects soldiers from chemical and biological weapons.
Certain materials naturally exhibit certain performance characteristics without being treated with chemicals or additives. For example, apparel constructed from an untreated material such as Lycra™ exhibits a moisture management characteristic. Materials such as Lycra™, however, may not exhibit any other characteristics such as odor adsorption and/or ultra-violet protection. In addition, apparel constructed from untreated materials are limited to the physical properties (e.g., texture, feel, durability, etc.) associated with that untreated material. Moreover, the performance characteristics of such materials are often limited and do not adequately enhance the material.
The materials used for producing the above-mentioned apparel may be enhanced using a variety of different methods. For example, one method can include applying chemicals such as Scotchgard™ to impart the desired performance characteristics on the material. After the chemicals are applied, however, the chemicals often dissipate and have to be reapplied continuously throughout the life of the fabric to impart the desired characteristics. The chemicals may dissipate, for example, when the treated fabric is washed or exposed to external elements.
Approaches have been attempted to bind solid particles such as activated carbon to materials (e.g., fibers, yarns, knitted fabrics, woven fabrics, and non-woven fabrics). Activated carbon is a granular substance that varies in size and shape depending on the process used to create the activated carbon. The activated carbon's surface area is covered with pores that also vary in size and shape depending on how it is produced. These pores provide the activated carbon with properties such as odor adsorption.
Although there are known methods of impregnating materials with solid particles, none of these methods have been applied successfully to produce a yarn, a knitted, or woven material with incorporated solid particles, or to produce such a material suitable for garment manufacture. The methods for impregnating materials with solid particles have not been successfully used with woven materials for the following reasons.
First, many methods, such as liquid dispersion or suspension methods, result in encapsulation and consequent deactivation of the solid particles. Such processes have the same disadvantages if practiced on woven materials and yarns.
Second, methods involving tackifying or plasticizing a material (e.g., fabric) to facilitate impregnation with solid particles result in materials that take on the properties of the binding agent and solid particles rather than the material. Such processes have the same disadvantages if practiced on woven or non-woven materials. Furthermore, tackifying or plasticizing ruins the natural substance of the material, resulting in an undesirable or unusable material.
An alternative to impregnating a material such as fabric with solid particles is to form a laminate of the solid particles between two sheets of non-woven or woven cloth. In one prior art method, solid particles are applied to one of the woven sheets as a free flowing powder before the two woven sheets are laminated. This method, however, does not firmly bind the solid particles to the woven sheets. Consequently, the solid particles can shake out of the laminate during, for example, normal washing of the material. Furthermore, this method can only be applied in cases where the outer sheets have pores that are much smaller than the mean size of the solid particles. As a result, this method typically requires the use of granular materials rather than powders.
The known methods are not able to incorporate and bind solid particles to the material with a high degree of precision. Rather, the solid particles are incorporated into the material by randomly dispensing them onto the material.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to permanently attach solid particles to a material using a xerographic method.
It is also an object of the present invention to use a Gravure method to permanently attach the solid particles to a material.